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Vera was not far behind Ra and me as we passed through the trees. I needed to see my son. I hoped he was safe. I hoped Sora and Lex were safe. When we came to a small round clearing in the trees, and paused when we saw Lex holding Sora close, rocking her. Little Tree was on the ground surrounded by the pups. When Lex looked up and saw me she sighed with relief.
"Oh thank god." she said and stood up. Little Tree looked up and saw us and stood up quickly.
"Mama…Papa." he said and the hounds got up and moved from him so he could run over to us. I smiled and leaned down and picked him up quickly hugging him.
"You are safe." I said happily kissing all over his face. Ra stood behind me placing his large hand on my son's head. Lex walked over to us and looked around.
"Where is Scar?" she asked.
"He has gone with the other warriors to chase off the rest of the Stone Clan." Ra replied, and she nodded with relief in her eyes. Vera's pups moved over to her nuzzling her with their snouts.
"We lost Elder Mecah." I replied gently, and she looked at me with shock in her eyes.
"Oh no." she said shaking her head. I looked down in sadness holding L.T. close to me. Ra cackled some through his mask and looked up at the sky.
"There will be a meeting about what has happened. Come." he merely commanded and turned from us. L.T. climbed down from my hold and ran after his father. I moved over to look at Sora who was fast asleep. I rubbed her head before following after the boys. Vera and the other hounds followed beside us. I watched as Little Tree reached to take his father's hand. Ra did not fully hold his hand, but I watched as his thumb quickly grazed over his hands.
Slowly the rains died out, and all of the tribe met in the heart of the village. Everyone was outraged. The remaining elders were sitting down in the middle of everyone else. The warriors who fought in the battle stood around them, and the rest of us sat down. We lost many of the humans than we did the warriors. Elder Chich'ka rose his arm to quiet everyone. Two Emeralds seemed lost in her mind.
"We cannot let this crime go unpunished. The Stone Clan has forced war on us and we will answer!" he called out. The warriors roared like savages and hissed in reply. I looked around at everyone's faces. They were angry and thirsty for blood. Even the humans were acting in such manner. I held Little Tree close while I looked for Lex. She was sitting near the circle where Scar was. Ra was on the other side of him and I was sitting a few rows behind him. Elder Kha shook his head.
"The Stone Clan has two stronger clans behind him as well as his own clan…they were able to come into our home and slaughter us. We cannot go into battle without a strategy." he motioned. Other elders nodded.
"We must call out to our allies: The Bear and Red Arrow Clans." A yautja male said from the crowd. Everyone yelled in agreement and I looked down in thought. If there was one clan the Stone warriors were intimidated by it was Chucka's clan. But they just got out of a war, they are not looking to reenter another one.
"We don't need those Red Arrows fighting with our warriors!" anther yautja male shouted and more men roared with agreement.
"Their skins are not good for camouflaging like ours, their weapons are not like ours." Another shouted. I looked in their direction, and I winced as everyone still shouted and roared in agreement. I looked up at Ra to see he too had been looking at the yautja as they spoke, then his mask turned to me. I don't know what possessed me to do this, but I sat Little Tree on the floor, and he clicked his mandibles in curiosity at me as I slowly stood up in the large crowd of yautja.
Everyone near me saw me, and began to quiet themselves and soon like a wave all of the roars and chatter died down. All eyes were on me, and as I slowly moved forward they began to move from me making a small path so I could walk through. I was nervous and afraid, but I now it was a time to be strong. I moved up to Ra and he lifted his hand, and I took it. He guided me to the middle where the elders were all sitting and they looked up at me with strong eyes. I looked down at them and bowed my head at them in respect, and they bowed back as well. I looked back up at the crowd and looked around. Two Emeralds was among the elders and Venus and her family were right behind her.
"Elder Mecah is dead," I said looking around at the crowd who muttered softly upon hearing my words. "I may not have seen him fall, but I know he fought with honor and strength. The Stone clan is without honor or strength! Yes they did come into our home and they brought war and death and destruction…but most of all they brought blood. And I believe we must- no we will return the favor." As I spoke, the warriors growled and hissed and cackled as they nodded.
I looked at Two Emeralds with warmth in my eyes, but they hardened as I turned to the crowd once more.
"Yes their allies may be powerful, but we too are powerful. We too have allies and yes, the Red Arrow has skin not like your own, but if they can bring down as many kills as we can, then do they not get the opportunity to fight with us? If they can win victories like the Bear Clan can than why should they be denied the respect they have so fought and killed to deserve?
I say we call upon our allies over yautja prime. We call them and tell them we have been mildly wounded, that the Stone Clan came into our homes like filthy vypyre and had tried to destroy us!" I called out. Now everyone began to growl and nod in agreement. "When we call our brothers they will aid us and when they call upon us we will aid them not because it is for victory, but because we will gain honor for our tribe, for our brothers, our sisters, and our fallen warriors!"
Everyone roared in happiness now throwing their fists in the air. I looked around at them and then looked down at the Elders and saw them all bow their heads at me in unison. I looked at Ra who just stood there with his head held high. Slowly, Two Emeralds got up and now the roaring died, and I looked at her. I wondered what she was would say, what she would do. She came up to me, and I looked down at her. All was silent. It was like noise did not exist in this very moment. She then raised her hand and I watched as she lowered it right over my head. I stared at her as she did this. Then the elders got up and moved around me and they raised their hands and placed them on my shoulders and chest and back. Then the warriors all moved up behind them and placed a hand on each of the elder's shoulder. Now I was even more stunned when the rest of the clan began to stand and place their hands on the shoulders in front of them.
Ra had taught me this, but this had never happened where the human was the one touched.
"From this day forward, you are the Priestess of the Silver Wing Clan, your mate, Ra will become our Clan Leader. All will follow where he shall lead, and from this day your names will live on for thousands of years." she said in a light tone. With that said she bowed her head to me, and in unison everyone bowed as well. My blue eyes widened at her words.
Author's Notes
Yeah I know a priestess isn't a title in the yautja world but I thought it would be good to add.
